Veterinarians play a crucial role in disaster response and recovery, and it is essential for them to be prepared for such events.

I may be biased, but I think ultrasound is just the coolest tool out there.

Don’t get me wrong—it’s one piece of the larger diagnostic puzzle, and no single modality can be the crystal ball we all wish we had. Thorough physical exams, quality history-taking, appropriate lab work, and other types of imaging contribute to our success as practitioners in honing in on an accurate diagnosis and therefore getting our beloved patients the treatment they deserve.

1...Obtain the best image possible. 
Take the time to completely evacuate the rectum, and use plenty of lube for contact. If your ultrasound system provides variable frequency transducers, remember to operate at the highest frequency that still allows you enough depth to visualize all the pertinent structures; this will optimize the resolution of your image! You’ll acquire a higher quality (and larger!) ovary image scanning at 6cm than you will at 12cm. In addition, become familiar with your equipment; experiment with gain, contrast, and persistence in order to achieve the image that you desire.

The flat linear rectal transducer has been the standard for large animal reproductive ultrasound for a very long time. You may have noticed that in recent years, however, many folks have started to use a rectal probe with a curved array. What’s the difference, and why might you choose one over the other?

In my experience, there are two types of ultrasonographers—those who tinker a lot with their image settings, and those who prefer to never adjust anything. By the very nature of my job, I’m definitely the former… but both groups can get themselves into trouble. The Tinkerers can go down a rabbit hole and find themselves even further from the results they want, and the Never-Adjusts might be missing a lot of opportunities to optimize their image quality.

One of the really fun parts of my job as staff veterinarian here at EIMI is attending meetings and interacting with our customers. I always leave with such profound admiration for the spectrum of work that’s being done in the animal world—from what would be considered routine exams on domestic species to research on rare exotics. There are so many ultrasound applications out there!

The new IBEX LITE HR has everything that other LITE models do, but offers a flush-mounted monitor for image viewing in addition to an optional goggle headset. In this video, Dr. Wierman illustrates the versatile nature of the HR by showing you a couple different ways to wear it.

The latest, most advanced model in the IBEX^® family, with enhanced image resolution, color Doppler, improved features and remote image-viewing apps. Designed and manufactured in Loveland, CO, the new IBEX SA was created for the companion animal practice—anyone demanding a high-quality image in portable system.

It's funny because it’s true.... but don’t be this person! Overuse of gain can result in a washed out image and unnecessary noise. Before reaching for that gain control, consider your contact, transducer choice, and frequency.

All ultrasounds have gain control. It’s often a knob, button, and/or a series of sliders on the console, and it’s one of the most used and adjusted scanning parameters... but do you know what it really does?